The invention relates to a recording and reproducing system, comprising a recording and/or reproducing device and a cassette adapted to be inserted into the recording and/or reproducing device, which cassette comprises a rectangular parallelepiped housing having two mutually parallel main walls, in which housing a magnetic tape is accommodated, and in which the cassette accommodates a supply reel for storing the magnetic tape, which supply reel has a reel hub to which the magnetic tape is connected at one end, and further accommodates a coupling element, to which the magnetic tape is connected at its other end and which can be positioned into a coupling position in the cassette with the aid of positioning means, and in which a tape transport path has been defined in the recording and/or reproducing device, which tape transport path extends from a compartment for receiving the inserted cassette, via a magnetic head for scanning the magnetic tape and provided in the recording and/or reproducing device, to a rotationally drivable take-up reel for taking up the magnetic tape and provided in the recording and/or reproducing device, which take-up reel has a reel hub to which a pull-out tape is connected at its end nearest the take-up reel, which pull-out tape can be guided along the tape transport path and is connected to a pull-out element at its other end which is remote from the take-up reel, which pull-out element can be held in a standby position with the aid of holding means provided in the recording and/or reproducing device and, in its standby position, can be coupled to the coupling element of the inserted cassette in the coupling position of said coupling element, in such a manner that the coupling element and the magnetic tape can be pulled out of the inserted cassette in a pull-out direction and can be pulled up to the take-up reel along the tape transport path in that the take-up reel is rotationally driven--by means of the take-up reel, the pull-out tape, the pull-out element and the coupling element of the inserted cassette, which coupling element has been coupled to the pull-out element.
The invention further relates to a recording and/or reproducing device adapted to receive a cassette, which cassette comprises a rectangular parallelepiped housing having two mutually parallel main walls and accommodates a magnetic tape, and in which device a tape transport path for a magnetic tape has been defined, which tape transport path extends from a compartment for receiving an inserted cassette, via a magnetic head for scanning a magnetic tape, to a rotationally drivable take-up reel for taking up a magnetic tape and having a reel hub to which a pull-out tape is connected at its end nearest the take-up reel, which pull-out tape can be guided along the tape transport path, and is connected to a pull-out element at its other end which is remote from the take-up reel, which pull-out element can be held in a standby position with the aid of holding means and is adapted to be coupled to a coupling element of an inserted cassette, so as to pull such a coupling element and a magnetic tape out of an inserted cassette in a pull-out direction and up to the take-up reel along the tape transport path after such coupling in that the take-up reel is rotationally driven--by means of the take-up reel, the pull-out tape, the pull-out element and a coupling element coupled to the pull-out element.
The invention further relates to a cassette, which comprises a rectangular parallelepiped housing having two mutually parallel main walls and which accommodates a magnetic tape, and which comprises a supply reel for storing the magnetic tape, which supply reel has a reel hub to which the magnetic tape is connected at one end, and further comprises a coupling element, to which the magnetic tape is connected at its other end and which can be positioned into a coupling position in the cassette with the aid of positioning means.
A recording and/or reproducing system of the type defined in the first paragraph, a recording and/or reproducing device of the type defined in the second paragraph, and a cassette of the type defined in the third paragraph are commercially available and are thus known. For the known system, the known device and the known cassette reference can also be made to the two documents EP 0 229 052 B1 and EP 0 228 369 B1.
In the known system the pull-out element, which is connected to the pull-out tape of the device, is formed by an end portion of the pull-out tape, which has a leading part formed with undercuts and which has a substantially elongate rectangular aperture adapted to cooperate with a separate actuating mechanism accommodated in the known device, this separate actuating mechanism enabling the end portion of the pull-out tape--i.e. the pull-out element of the pull-out tape--to be held in its standby position. Moreover, with respect to the known system it is to be noted that the coupling element of the known cassette is formed by a further pull-out tape which is connected to the magnetic tape and which at the location of its free end has a substantially oval or elliptical aperture adapted to cooperate with the undercut leading part of the end portion of the pull-out tape of the device. In the known system the pull-out element formed by the end portion of the pull-out tape of the device should not only be held in its standby position by means of the separate actuating device but also has the drawback that, after the known cassette has been loaded into the known device of the system, said pull-out element should be moved from the standby position into a coupling position, during which movement the undercut leading part of the end portion of the pull-out tape is moved through the oval aperture in the further pull-out tape of the cassette, after which by means of the actuating device the leading part is held in such a position that, when the take-up reel of the known device is subsequently driven and, as a result of this, the pull-out tape of the device is driven, the undercuts in the leading part of this pull-out tape engage against the boundaries of the oval aperture in the further pull-out tape of the cassette, the undercuts in the leading part of the pull-out tape of the device engaging behind the further pull-out tape of the cassette and thereby providing a coupling between the pull-out tape of the device and the further pull-out tape of the cassette. For the known system, the know device and the known cassette it is therefore necessary that the known device of the known system comprises a separate actuating device for moving the pull-out element formed by the end portion of the pull-out tape from its standby position into its coupling position. Such a separate actuating device represents a substantial expense and also involves the risk that a correct and reliable coupling between the pull-out tape of the device and the further pull-out tape of the cassette is no longer guaranteed after a longer operating time.